25 July 2023 , 07:50
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Virgin Media O2 is preparing to cut up to 2,000 jobs by the end of the year as part of cost-cutting plans.
The job cuts include 800 role reductions that were already announced by the telecoms giant.
The Mirror first reported how staff were on redundancy alert last month.
Virgin Media O2 has around 17,000 employees - meaning the job cuts would reduce this by roughly 12%.
It comes after Virgin Media and O2 merged two years ago in a mega £31billion deal between parent companies US-listed Liberty Global and Spanish firm Telefónica.
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Reports suggest the deal left the combined company carrying £20.2billion of debt and seeking £350million of annual cost savings.
The firm has 47.9 million UK connections covering broadband, mobile, TV and home phone services.
A spokesperson from Virgin Media O2 said: "As we continue to integrate and transform as a company, we are currently consulting on proposals to simplify our operating model to better deliver for customers, which will see a reduction in some roles this year.
“While we know any period of change can be difficult, we are committed to supporting all of our people and are working closely with the CWU and Prospect along with our internal employee representatives as we have open and honest conversations on the future direction of our business.”
Rival telecoms giant BT revealed plans to slash up to 55,000 jobs in May this year - including AI replacing the role of 10,000 workers.
The company wants to cull its workforce from 130,000 to between 75,000 and 90,000 by the end of this decade.
Meanwhile, Vodafone is to cut 11,000 jobs from its global workforce over the next three years.
The job losses amount to more than a tenth of the 104,000 global staff employed by Vodafone.